Warner Bros. is joining the latest Hollywood craze. Hot on the heels of the blockbuster success of Sherlock Holmes, Warner Bros. has begun developing a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. In the same fashion as Gladiator, X-Men and The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes has become a trendsetter and now Hollywood execs are convinced that modern, kinetic adaptations of 19th century novels are the way to go. Warner Bros. is producing in conjunction with Lionel Wigram, who was also the man behind Sherlock Holmes. More after the jump:
Though a competing adaptation was announced by the UK production company Ecosse (Brideshead Revised, Becoming Jane) back in February, the smart money is on Wigram. He managed to get Sherlock Holmes filming before the proposed Will Ferrell/Sascha Baron Cohen version could get off the ground. Wigram is also making a play to get a new Three Musketeers adaptation up and running before Summit and Paul W.S. Anderson get organized.
No real details were announced about the plot of Treasure Island but Pajiba is reporting that the script is supposed to emphasize the relationship between the young protagonist Jim Hawking and the irascible (and deadly) Long John Silver. Though I am doubtful the new film will compare favorably to Muppet Treasure Island, with Wigram on board it is a project that bears watching.
